Christmas 2025

We did send out Christmas cards this year!  When I went to pull 2024's card to add to the reverse side of this year, I found that I hadn't sent them out since 2022! = 0   It is expensive to send out cards, but I will still try to send one out every other year!

I had to get input from my dear ones this year, to make sure that their Christmas Pajamas were not one-time wears, as they had been the past couple of years.  I don't want to add to the pollution of the world by buying new, matching, nightgowns for my children, that are only worn once.  They have been wearing them regularly since Christmas, with the exception of Alice, but I got hers in a style that William could wear in a year or so.

Emily, Grace, and Juliet also got doll nightgowns, so we welcomed them into the picture too!  I don't frequently shop at Kohl's, but I had the gift card that the color guard gave me, which I was anxious to use before I forgot about it, so it was a win all around.

After Avia brought home Emily, Grace, and Juliet from Christmas Eve service, we opened this year's Christmas pajamas!  Just look at how adorable my children are in their matching pajamas!!! <3

William was up wildly early on Christmas morning, sorting the gifts, but Grace really wanted to help with that step, so I got up to rein him in, and since I was up, start on lunch.

 

The gifts were smaller than year's past, but more expensive for sure! lol.  I do love that my children are at an age to intentionally shop for one another, many of the clothes that were exchanged were kept and worn by the recipient!  

Some gifts were questioned while we were shopping, like the shoelaces that Alice gifted Juliet, but Juliet was excited to relace her shoes in a star pattern!

I found another round of Christmas crackers this year, so we had just enough for everyone to pop one open at Christmas lunch!  We were able to save much of the trash for reuse at our new year's party!

Avia joined us for our feast of ham and all the regular sides!

After lunch, Juliet offered to put away the Nativity scene, so, while I had willing helpers, we put away our Christmas decor on Christmas day!  It felt really nice to have the chore done and over!

We enjoyed celebrating the birth of Jesus, and spending a nice day at home, with tasty food, and each other.

later days

edit 1-19-26: backdated for continuity.

Christmas 2024

On Christmas morning, Alice was the first up, and had the gifts sorted into piles before she woke everyone just after seven.

We were all moving slow, but the kids quickly woke up as they went through their stockings.

William and I found this big pack of Reese's on one of our adventures, and it started a 'wow' candy trend for everyone.  I tried to get a giant quantity of candy for each of them, that they didn't have to share with anyone.  I think everyone ended up sharing or trading anyhow, but they didn't have to!  So Alice had Reese's, Emily got Haribo, William's was a giant container of peanut butter M&M's, Grace got the largest container of Ferro Roche that I could find, and Juliet got an entire box of Kinder Beuno.

A wheelchair for their American girl dolls was one of the few gifts that I bought new, but it was definitely a favorite!

Emily didn't get any needles or yarn for Christmas, but found the inspiration to start crocheting Amigurumi.

Not a bad first attempt!

Much to Emily and my disappointment, when I opened the freezer to get out green beans for Christmas dinner, we had none. = 0  So, no Christmas green beans for us.  I also neglected to order bread, but that was easily remedied.  They weren't amazing, but they were pretty good for a quick job.

The pressure was on my kids now to start eating the contents of their candy canes, so that I can use them again next year! = )

Once the bread was finished, we sat down, popped our Christmas crackers, and ate a ham feast!  The jokes were as corny as ever, and I think mine had the best trinket, a tiny screwdriver set!

It was a lovely Christmas for sure!  Merry Christmas y'all!

later days

12-30-24 backdated for continuity.